


Play Pretend

by gladdecease



Category: Heroes (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-10-22
Updated: 2007-10-22
Packaged: 2017-11-28 16:29:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/676494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gladdecease/pseuds/gladdecease
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiro had wished he was Kensei Takezo many times in his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Play Pretend

Hiro had wished he was Kensei Takezo many times in his life. Granted, most of these times had been when he was listening to his father telling him stories on the airplane ride between home and America, and he had wanted to humbly defeat the boys on the soccer team at school more than actually _be_ the man. He had also never thought it possible to meet the legend... but then, he hadn't thought it possible to travel through time either (not until he found the X-Men comic books).

Finding himself right at the beginning of Kensei's journey as a warrior was amazing (though discovering Kensei the man was a large disappointment compared to the legend). Realizing he would have to start Kensei on his journey was even better. And yet...

When he finally got the chance to be Kensei, Hiro was surprised to find the experience... lacking. He couldn't place the feeling, but something about being Kensei didn't sit right.

(But still, what would Ando say if he knew _Hiro_ was the one to disarm twelve bandits!)

It was only when the swordmaker's daughter, Kaeko, walked with him through the cherry trees and tried to remove his mask for a kiss that he placed the feeling. He was Nakamura Hiro, who had killed Sylar and saved New York. He was not Kensei Takezo, who would fight the dragon and win Kaeko's heart. Hiro was a hero unto himself (and maybe one day a legend too). He didn't need to play pretend any more - but Kensei still needed to learn to be a hero. And he couldn't do that if Hiro was busy being the hero for him.

And because of that, Hiro would not, _could_ not, pretend to be Kensei anymore.

(Even though he _really_ wanted that kiss.)


End file.
